Pre-eclampsia, which occurs in up to 10 percent of all pregnancies, is toxemia of pregnancy, a serious condition characterized by increasing hypertension, headaches, water retention, etc., that can lead to true eclampsia (stroke, convulsive seizures, organ failures in the mother, coma) if neglected and not treated. Now researchers at North Carolina State University and Duke University have discovered that the placentas of women who suffer pre-eclampsia during pregnancy have an overabundance of a gene associated with the regulation of the body's immune system.

     Dr. Jorge Piedrahita, of North Carolina State, one of the researchers, says, "When we looked at the pre-eclampsic placentas, we found that several genes associated with a particular autoimmune pathway were 'upregulated'--basically, that there were more of them in the placentas of pre-eclampsic women than in normal placentas." He continues, "More specifically, we found the upregulation of a particular enzyme involved in sialic acid modification, called SIAE. Sialic acids coat every cell in our body, making it possible for our immune system to distinguish 'self' from 'not-self.' If this process is disrupted, the body can end up attacking itself."

     Dr. Piedrahita says, "Now that we know that disregulation of SIAE helps start the cascade, we've been able to fill in the blanks. Hopefully pregnant women and their babies will benefit as a result."

--Source: Excerpted from "Autoimmune Genes Linked to Preeclampsia," North Carolina State University, February 14, 2011